One of the primary functions, above and beyond the traditional fire fighting duties, of a fire department these days is search and rescue. In particular, the burden of doing underwater search or rescue usually falls to the fire department. For this purpose, fire departments need to have scuba divers.
A scuba diver is a highly-skilled person. These skills are well-used in search and rescue operations. To maximize the use of those skills, it is necessary to provide equipment to assist search procedures. The equipment must also be easy to use and to recover.
Such underwater rescues are very difficult procedures to complete. Accordingly, even though these matters are difficult to complete, it is highly desirable to do so in an efficient and thorough fashion so that the rescue, if possible, may be completed as quickly as possible. Speed of search is usually synonymous with a successful rescue.
Also, it is common for criminals to dispose of evidence underwater. Typical examples of underwater disposal elements include, but are not limited to, weapons, physical evidence from a crime scene, or other material. Such disposal of material in bodies of water is done, of course, in hopes that it will never be found. An efficient, underwater, search mechanism can create the greatest opportunity for recovery of the evidence.
It is very difficult to provide a mechanism, which can mark off a search area or search quadrant, so that the diver can be sure of the area, which has been searched. This is especially true in case of murky or unclear water. Such murky or unclear water is very common in the Midwestern United States.
The lakes and ponds and rivers common to the area are rarely enough for an unassisted search, by a scuba diver. Some efficient marking for the search area is required. Such a device or method can greatly add to search efficiency.
If the diver fails to search an area, it is a problem. If a diver searches the same area twice, unintentionally, it is a problem. Both of these problems add time to rescue or recovery. Solving these problems will greatly increase search efficiency.
It is desirable also to recover the rescue device. yet when such a device is deployed in water, it can be difficult to recover the same. If recovery of the search device can be provided in a more efficient manner, the use of the search device is still more efficient.
Various devices exist for assisting this search. However, it is complicated to use these devices on many occasions. It a device can be designed so that the search can be conducted simply, without backtracking over the same area while at the same time conducting an efficient search, great advantages can be obtained. The time used by the skilled diver is more effective, with a more clear marking out of the search area.